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An investment banker who worked long hours at a London-based
firm, Anna Jerstrom found herself with a glut of unused vacation
days when 2009 came to a close. She decided to give surfing camp
in Costa Rica a go.

That trip changed everything. Jerstrom, who grew up in Sweden,
loved the sport so much she quit her job, moved to Costa Rica and
became a surfer.

"It was like Blue Crush, without the handsome leading man," she
says. "I was super-scared, but I fell in love with surfing."

What Jerstrom did not love was surfing attire for women--namely,
ill-fitting bikinis. "You'd be out in the waves, walk out of the
water and literally you've lost your bottoms," she says. Though
Jerstrom made many of her own clothes, she had no professional
experience as a designer. But she did have sketchbooks full of
ideas.

In 2010, she put those sketches to work and founded Newport
Beach, Calif.-based Calavera, a line of bikinis designed to
stay on, no matter how rough the surf. Jerstrom's designs
incorporate eyelets and other closures typically used on men's
boardshorts, as well as hidden spots to secure car keys and
other essentials. The bikini bottoms have Velcro and less
elasticity in the band, so they don't slip when a surfer gets
pounded by a wave. The tops have tie systems that prevent
pressure on the neck.

Jerstrom raised $150,000 in seed money from 10 investors, largely
through contacts from her days in the finance industry. With the
initial funding, she started making the suits and sponsored five
surfers to test the designs. They recorded 55 videos that
demonstrate the suits' performance in the surf--helpful, since
the bikinis look deceptively simple (and skimpy).

Jerstrom, who still surfs frequently, streams many of the videos
on the company website. The interactive site, the only place
surfers could find the product through 2011, allows shoppers to
custom-design a suit, choosing from a variety of styles, colors
and sizes. The bikinis cost between $90 and $100.

Projected revenue for 2012--which is when Calavera suits hit
specialty retail outlets, including Katin Surf Shop in Huntington
Beach, Calif.--is $200,000. "We are known for our men's
boardshorts," says Jesse Watson, Katin's general manager. "Many
women's lines are just cute, but not made for active stand-up
paddlers and surfers."

Watson ordered the line after seeing Calavera's online videos and
a comic-book-style promotional mailing. The trick to success, he
says, will be to train his employees to understand how the suits
work and to articulate that to customers who initially see only a
sexy bikini.